


Magistra

by womenseemwicked



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Ancient Rome, Gen, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Magic, Marauders AU, Marauders' Era, Roman AU, Roman Empire, the empire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 15:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11970390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womenseemwicked/pseuds/womenseemwicked
Summary: Lily Evans's parents have been noticing strange things happening when their daughter is upset or very happy, and in a world where muggleborn witches and wizards are often put to death, they know they have to do something before she is revealed. They hear about a school for such cases, and decide to give it a try.Set in asktheboywholived's Empire AU. I was curious what things would be like for muggleborns in this world and since today is September 1st I thought I'd try a school-related fic. This is what came out.





	Magistra

"We shouldn't be here. She could be a spy for Them, and then where would we be?"

"She's not a spy _amica mea_ , Arabella Figg recommended her very highly. Besides, if it will help Lily--"

"Still. I don't like that cat. It's looking at us as if it knows."

"Hush now. You're too nervous. Look, here she comes."

A woman with her hair up in a tight, plaited bun wearing a long, dark linen stola, came into the shop from the curtains at the back, and headed straight for them with a small smile that was more in her piercing eyes than on her narrow lips.

"You are Mr. and Mrs. Evans?" he asked, her voice clipped.

They nodded, Mr. Evans putting his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Come with me please," the woman turned back toward the back of the shop, glancing down at the cat on her way. "Argus, give your cat something to do. Can't you see she's bored?"

The man behind the shop counter grumbled and shuffled off into a corner, his cat following at his heels with one last suspicious glance at the Evanses.

Once in the back room of the shop, the curtains once more closed behind them, Mrs. Evans was surprised to see how big the space was back here, and how cozy. Not at all like the front of the shop. She calmed visibly.

"Have a seat, please," the magistra said, gesturing to the stools at the center of the room. "Before we begin, do you have any questions?"

"How did you know the cat was bored?" Mrs. Evans found herself asking, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks at the silliness of the question.

The woman smiled kindly. "Oh it doesn't take magic to learn the body language of animals that live beside us. But I suppose this helps..." she brought out a wand from the folds of her _stolla_  and fast as blinking she disappeared before their eyes. Where she had just been sitting there was now a cat with the same shining eyes of her mistress. Mr. Evans made a shocked sound and Mrs. Evans clutched her breast, as Minerva turned back with a small smile.

"I apologize if I frightened you. I couldn't resist. And now you know, at least, that I am indeed a witch and not some traveling hack who would take your money and leave you without satisfaction."

The Evanses nodded, still shocked into silence by the woman's quick transformation.

"Now. You have a daughter I understand?"

Mrs. Evans nodded, then seemed to notice she was required to provide more information and cleared her throat. "Lily. She's only five years old, still an infant really, but the signs of her... irregularity... have become too much to ignore. We fear that if we wait any longer she may reveal herself in public and then--"

"You did right to come to me," Minerva soothed. "Where is Lily now?"

"We didn't dare bring her until we knew--" Mrs. Evans said apologetically. Minerva nodded understanding.

"How do we know you aren't going to turn her over to the Family?" Mr. Evans spoke up.

"Do you know anything of Unbreakable Vows?" Minerva asked.

The Evanses nodded.

"I always give families the option to have me make one. That I will teach their children in utmost secrecy, train them to keep their powers hidden, and should I be caught and tortured for information, I will never speak their name or share their location with anyone who does not already know it."

The Evanses nodded again.

"Do it," Mr. Evans said. "Please."

Minerva nodded with a kind smile and took out her wand once more.

+++++++++

"Again, Lily. And his time keep your wrist still. It should be your fingers moving the wand only."

Lily nodded and focused on the object in front of her, a spindly legged table which was very slightly hairy in spots thanks to her previous attempt. She gave her wand a sure flick and uttered the incantation, "Cervos convertens."

"Very good," Minerva sounded proud and surprised as the table let out a startled yell and hopped up and into a nearby shelf, now a very confused young doe. "Incarcerous," she flicked her wand and bound the doe loosely to keep it from causing too much more damage.

"Reparo," Lily fixed the shelf and its fallen contents, smiling apologetically at Minerva when she was done.

"I haven't seen someone pick it up so quickly in many years, Ms. Evans. You've done very well. We may take a break now if you wish."

Lily nodded and slipped her wand expertly back up into a sleeve of her light brown stolla.

"Tea?" Minerva offered, as she stepped over to the office corner of her teaching space.

Lily paused with her hand out near the deer and nodded. "Yes please."

"Be careful," Minerva warned, watching as Lily got within biting distance of the still uneasy doe. "Though it has the appearance of an animal, the brain is only rudimentary and therefore ruled very much by emotion. It may lash out at--"

Lily pulled her hand back just in time to avoid being bitten.

"Poor thing, it's scared," she said, her voice soothing as she pulled out her wand and waved it over the deer. " _Irémise_ ," she said softly, and reached out once again. This time the deer allowed her to pet it and even leaned into the touch slightly.

Minerva shook her head, hiding a small smile as she poured their tea.

When she returned to Lily's side with their teas and a plate of biscuits, the deer was laying down beside her with its head in her lap, content.

"I do believe you have an affinity for deer, young Lily," she raised an eyebrow.

Lily smiled. "Can I keep it?"

Minerva chuckled. "As long as you can keep it from destroying my shop," she agreed. "But I believe it won't be long before you'll be leaving me now, Ms. Evans. Your education is nearly as complete as I can make it, and it is time you found a husband before your lack of one becomes noted."

Lily frowned.

"What if I don't want a husband?" she asked, not for the first time in her life.

"Then you have a few options," Minerva replied drily. "Marry an old man who is sure to die and leave you alone, dedicate yourself to some religious order that praises celibacy, or become a slave to some great house - if you're particularly lucky ' _quod pulcherrimum, ac vetustissima_ ,' the house of Black." She added that last one to show just how unlikely it was that Lily could remain unbetrothed, and how preferable marriage was to the alternative, but from the thoughtful look on her student's face Lily was not deterred.

"I have heard that sometimes great houses adopt their slaves into the family upon the death of their master, or for some great deed done by the slave," she said.

Minerva frowned. "This is true," she admitted. "Though not a regular occurrence. Only the most devoted and cherished of family slaves are given that honor."

"Think of what I might be able to undermine from within the Black family villa, though. With a little help-- I would have to pretend to be non magical, though, wouldn't I? To get in the door?"

"Not necessarily," Minerva disagreed reluctantly. "If you could change your name to that of some magical family, one of not too much renown but just enough to be recognized, you could pretend to be a pure or half-blood witch and be given favorable treatment from the start. Mind you, as a magical slave you may be required to marry, and as a freedwoman - should you convince them to let you join the family - you would almost definitely be expected to wed."

Somehow Lily still looked intrigued by the idea, and Minerva grimaced. The girl always had been stubborn. "Darling girl, I must ask you to give up this idea. Slavery is not preferable to marriage, even in the nicest houses. And the risk of discovery for a Muggle born witch like yourself is too great."

"Don't worry, Minerva," Lily replied. "I won't do anything unless I know I can make it work. I promise." Her smile did not cheer the old witch at all, though it did make her proud.

**Author's Note:**

> I've fallen kind of in love with the idea of this underground Muggleborn school run by McGonagall (who I refer to as Minerva since it's more AU appropriate), with squibs working for her as recruiters and such. It seems so in character that she would be running something like this. Still not sure how big the school would be though in terms of student population, and therefore not sure if she should have other teachers on staff like Flitwick and Sprout (whose first names are also sort of suitably Roman now that I think of it).  
> In case you're wondering where Dumbledore is in all of this, I figured that since Grindelwald's ideas wouldn't be shocking or even particularly interesting in this AU (since the Empire is kind of exactly what he was going for in the first place), he wouldn't have gone "dark side" and thus he and Dumbledore wouldn't need to have parted ways or fought. As such I imagine that in this world he would remain ambitious and cocky and whatnot, and Grindlewald would still be a close friend/maybe lover with whom he spent most of his time. No time for running an underground Muggleborn school then. So that goes to Minerva, who's better suited to the one on one teaching thing anyway.  
> Any suggestions would be welcome. Maybe I'll do more work with this school thing later. Or maybe you will. This whole AU is such a community driven thing, I'd love to see how other people do a school like this.


End file.
